How are B2B customers using mobile? The answer is in this infographic

We know that people use their smartphones and tablets to research products, read reviews and compare prices. They also use them to get directions to a local store, access coupons and deals and even share those deals with others through social media.

It starts with research. 52% of B2B customers use their smartphones to research products for their business. What kinds of information are these people looking for? They want to compare prices. They want to see features and they want to read reviews. Have you ever researched your own product on a smartphone? You might be unpleasantly surprised by the results. How does your site lay out? What kinds of reviews are out there? Good, bad, none? None is just as bad as bad. If that’s the case, do something about it.

Next, let’s talk content. 61% of B2B folks watch business related videos on their mobile device. That’s huge. There’s not a company on the internet that wouldn’t benefit from a well-run YouTube channel. Just remember, a video is not a 3 minute commercial. Teach your customers how to do something new or teach them how to do something faster. There’s a big difference between a 3 minute sales pitch for a new payroll app and a 3 minute video that shows how easy it is to add new employees using that payroll app.

In addition to video, people also use their mobile device to read blog posts and catch up on social media and 57% do it after hours. How does that line up with your content delivery schedule? If you’re pushing your company blog post out on social at 10 am, you’re missing a lot of potential readers. Plug that same blog post around 7 in the evening and compare the clicks.

The Mobile Salesman

57% of of B2B vendors say they are shifting their B2B commerce transactions from offline to online and self-service. By the end of the year, 75% of the companies in the survey said they’ll have some form of mobile ecommerce. We’re not trying to replace your salesmen with a robotic app, but the world keeps spinning faster and in order to keep up, you need to expand your options. The VP of BusyCompany USA may not have the time (or in the inclination) to meet your sales team at the office but when he’s at home, sitting on the couch enjoying Shark Tank. . . he pulls your site up on his tablet. . . uses the interactive features to learn more about the product and hey look. . . he can order samples right from the page. . . it’s done.

That’s the future of B2B. That’s the future of B2C. That’s the future – period.